Just A Small Town Girl (17 page)

“Piper?” the question came from tentative lips I knew and loved.

Yes Fisher was the first person to ever love me and he was also apparently standing right behind me.

I carefully stepped from Sam’s arms, using just enough force for him to understand I was serious and release me.

“Hey baby,” I tried to let him know I was still his regardless of what he thought he was walking in on. I stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek before taking Riley from him and placing the baby on my hip.

Fisher wrapped his hand around the base of my neck and pulled me toward him in record time, pressing his lips then tongue to mine while glaring at Sam in a show of masculine territorialism I could have done without.

I pulled away, a little breathless in spite of myself, and stood between the two men. I was caught between Fisher’s homicidal glare and Sam’s challenging sneer and their looks burned me.

“Sam this is my boyfriend Fisher,” Fisher gave Sam a cocky grin, “And Fisher this is my
ex
-husband Sam.”

Fisher nearly did a dance of glee at the flash of annoyance playing across Sam’s eyes when I put emphasis on the ‘ex.’

Sam took Fisher’s pleasure at his discomfort as a challenge and extended his arm for a handshake. The firm grips they gave each other made me cringe. When they were done Sam turned to me.

“Damn girl,” he gave me a speculative glance, “I always thought you’d be holding my babies, not some other guy’s.”

“It’s weird how things work out isn’t it?” I let my voice drip with ice, letting him know we would probably still be together if he’d managed to keep his dick in his pants.

Sam chose to ignore my tone, “Except I thought you’d be holding one and have another on the way,” he grazed his knuckle across the fabric covering my stomach and I jumped back like I’d been burned, “Nah, I’d say things aren’t nearly as worked out as you’d like to think they are girl,” he winked at me, rocking to the heel of his cowboy boots then back to his toes.

I stepped closer to Fisher, rubbing my free hand up and down his spine in an effort to soothe his obvious tension. We all stood there silent, Sam focusing on Fisher’s arm draped over my shoulder.

“Well hell,” he finally hooted out as if he’d been waiting to get it off his chest, “aren’t you going to invite me in girl? Or have you forgotten all your manners out here?”

“Sure, yeah, I nodded, placing my hand in Fisher’s and using it to pull him after me toward my apartment. I wanted to keep him close, just in case Sam decided to start a fight. Sam had a few inches on Fisher and several extra pounds of muscle, but the angry tension I could feel coursing through Fisher convinced me it would be one hell of a fight, a fight I was willing to avoid at all costs.

I gestured for them to sit on my couch, Fisher sat to one side, glaring at Sam and Sam sat on the couch, checking out my ass as I went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water, mostly for Fisher’s benefit I was sure. I tapped out a text message with one hand while I filled Sam’s glass with the other, glad I’d handed Riley to Fisher. The little boy would be a deterrent to a physical fight for a while.

“That’s my girl,” Sam smiled his thank you to me when I handed him the cool glass.

“No, asshole that’s my girl,” Fisher ground out, pulling me by the hand until I sank into the seat next to him. I placed my hand on his thigh. I didn’t like being tugged around like an old toy, but I knew he needed my support.

“Is she tough guy?” Sam set his glass on my coffee table, ignoring the stack of coasters in the center; he leaned close to Fisher, placing an elbow on each of his knees before smiling slowly, “’Cause I’m pretty sure I’ve got her cherry.”

“Fuck you,” Fisher spat at the same time I jumped up, yelling “Samuel Smithe you get the fuck out of my apartment.”

When he didn’t move I grabbed onto the sleeve of his flannel shirt, tugging him after me.

“You know you’re only angry because it’s true Piper,” he whispered, “You never forget your first or the one that got away. I’m your first and you’re the one that got away, it’s destiny baby girl.”

I threw the door open and pushed him toward it. Sam leaned close to give me a kiss on the cheek, but I backed away, shoving him toward the threshold harder.

When he was gone I slumped against the closed door and squeezed my eyes shut. I knew my mother had sent him because she thought he could get me to come home, she obviously didn’t realize how much of an asshole he was.

I felt Fisher’s warmth before I felt his fingers on my chin, tipping my face up for a kiss.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered before giving me another peck on the lips, “I’m an ape,” another kiss, “a caveman,” another kiss then he leaned back to look into my eyes, “I just don’t like that guy,” he ran a hand down my shoulder and to my fingertips where he interlaced our fingers. “Especially knowing what he did to you.”

“I love you, even if you’re a caveman,” he pinned both of my arms above my head and gave me a heated kiss, “Especially if you’re a caveman,” I whimpered in the seconds before he pressed his lips to mine again.

“You should go home,” Dr. Schultz moaned to himself, “It’s bad for business when the doctor’s receptionist is sick.”

I stuck my tongue out at him and finished wiping my nose, tossing the tissue in the trash can beneath my desk and making a big production of applying hand sanitizer.

He all but screamed, retreating to his office.

A light dusting of flurries was falling outside, so it was a slow day in the office. I could have gone home, but I wanted the extra money. I was planning a special gift for Fisher and Riley for Christmas and every extra cent would help. I’d even briefly considered looking into Fisher’s old shift at the diner.

“You look cute with your nose all rosy and raw,” Sam strode through the front door and leaned on my desk.

“What do you want?” I asked without pulling my eyes away from the boots I was looking at online with Bailey in mind.

“Oh that’s easy,” he laughed, “World peace, about six kids, a bigger truck, and you.”

He leaned over the desk and clicked the monitor off, forcing me to look at him.

“I thought you left,” I glared, hoping to impress upon him how little I appreciated his presence.

“Me? I’d never leave without my wife,” he winked at me before heading toward the door, “see you around girl.”

“Ex!” I screamed at his retreating form, jumping to my feet behind the desk, “ex-wife!”

“Well I can see you’re sinking into delirium, better get home now,” Dr. Schultz waved his hands in the air, earning only a glare from me, “Fine, touchy miss,” he dropped a slip of paper on my desk before heading back to his office.

I looked down at the prescription for antibiotics and smiled, even with the annoyance of my past creeping up on me I had people who cared about me in Dunesville. I had a life of my own.

Bailey jumped up to catch an icicle and popped the end in her mouth.

“Ew, do you know where that’s been?” I squealed at her.

“Yeah, hanging from that store’s window,” she smiled around it, kicking at the tiny snowdrifts with her cowgirl boots.

We were taking a girls’ day to do some last minute shopping while the boys, including Riley, took the day to shop for a Christmas tree. I’d been getting adorable picture texts from Fisher all day, featuring Riley standing near a tree and staring at it with big eyes, making his first snow angel, and standing next to ‘Fish and Riley love Piper’ drawn in snow with a heart around it.

“Hello ladies,” a smooth voice directed my attention from the most recent picture of Riley and Fisher helping Dustin to pummel Kyle with snowballs.

“Hey,” Bailey said, giving me a ‘what the hell’ look and moving to step around Sam.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” he extended a hand, “I’m Piper’s dirty secret,” he cleared his throat, “I mean her husband.”

“You are my ex-husband Sam and current stalker,” I slapped his hand down before Bailey made her mind up whether or not to take it.

“What? A guy can’t go shopping two days before Christmas?” he smiled, “I saw something I thought your mom would like at that shop over there.”

I rolled my eyes, turning away and praying Bailey would follow.

“Come on baby girl!” he cried out, chasing after me, “I talked to her last night you know? She’s thrilled to hear we’re trying to work things out.”

I reached the car and spotted Bailey rushing to get there, her bags flapping and slipping around her arms with the effort. I focused my gaze on Sam.

“We’re not trying to work anything out Sam, you’re trying to bully me into, into…Into what exactly? Being your wife again? I did that, I was a damn good wife and you screwed me over. Now you need to leave me alone. I need you to let me be happy here.”

“And I need you to come home with me. I need you to forgive me and I need you to give me another chance,” he heaved out a breath and I got the feeling I was hearing genuine words from Sam for the first time since we’d hit puberty, “I need you to be happy baby girl,” he whispered.

“That’s too bad Sam,” I breathed out, opening the freshly unlocked door and slipping into the car.

The drive was silent. I think Bailey knew I needed to be left alone with my thoughts. I wasn’t considering going home with Sam, but it still hurt to see him suffering so deeply. No matter what some people do you can’t help forgiving them; even if you never formally accept their apologies there’s a moment where all of the pain they caused you melts away and you can feel sadness or joy for them again. This goes for parents, siblings and best friends. Even though I loved Fisher, Sam was still my best friend. He knew things about me Fisher didn’t. Sam knew exactly what happened the day I broke my arm in third grade because he was the one who dared me to jump from the swing. He knew my favorite food used to be beef stroganoff, but I refused to eat it because I threw it up once on the teacher’s shoes. Those little stories and idiosyncrasies were the thread that held our friendship together. They were things that made us forever attached and it hurt to see him so sad, but I knew it would hurt more to be without Fisher.

“Do we mention the sighting of the ex-husband to Fisher?” Bailey asked when we pulled up in front of my apartment. I shook my head no before jumping out of the car, my arms full of bags.

We stowed the presents in my apartment before following the sounds of Dustin drunkenly singing
Carol of the Bells
until we arrived at Fisher’s apartment.

There, in the center of the room, sat a bush.

“Ta-Da!” Kyle exclaimed, gesturing at the bush animatedly.

“It’s…It’s, uh,” Bailey struggled.

“It’s a bush,” I finished.

“No it’s not,” Fisher chimed in, obviously having partaken in the spiked eggnog as well, “This is our tree baby.”

I ran my hand along the very well-manicured side. It was definitely a bush, an evergreen bush from someone’s yard; someone who would miss it.

“Where did you get it?” I cooed into my boyfriend’s ear, ignoring his friends’ enthusiastic head shaking to the negative.

“A tourist’s yard,” he laughed out, high fiving his friends.

It was definitely a bush. I started laughing and Bailey joined, handing me my own cup of eggnog.

“It’s Christmas Eve,” Fisher whispered, kissing my stomach.

“It is,” I smiled, enjoying the way his hair tickled my skin as his face moved across my stomach and up my chest.

“I want to give you a present now,” he whispered, kissing between my breasts.

I cradled his head in my hands, pulling his face up to mine for a kiss.

“Yeah?” I asked, pecking his lips, “Is it a new car?”

“No,” he started unbuttoning his dress shirt I’d pulled on before bed the night before, his fingers lightly grazing my skin as he went.

“Is it a waffle maker?” my fingers still cradled his head as he began to kiss a path down my neck.

“No,” he laughed into the skin above my right breast before taking the nipple into his mouth.

I let out a little moan, digging my fingers into his hair, “Is it a guitar?”

“You don’t even play,” he kissed the skin between my breasts.

“I could learn,” I pouted out my lip even though he wasn’t paying attention to that particular part of my anatomy.

“No, Piper it’s not a guitar,” I could feel him smiling against my skin before he closed his mouth over my other nipple.

He nipped at me, making me gasp out a sound halfway between mewing and moaning.

“Is it your body?” I smiled thinking of what a hell of a gift that would be.

“In a way yes, I guess it is,” he slid his fingers into the sides of my panties and I lifted my hips, helping him to pull them off, he kissed my inner thigh, “You already have my heart,” he darted a kiss to the other thigh, making me open my legs to him, “You already have my soul,” he kissed my most sensitive part and I cried out. He slid a finger inside and my mind went blank, fully focused on his tongue and fingers, driving me insane. When his mouth began to trail back up my body I whimpered.

“And you’re always on my mind, which is the same thing as having it I guess,” it took me a moment to remember the conversation. His lips were already on mine before my mind was straightened out. I slipped his boxer briefs down, waiting for him to kick them off before I wrapped my fingers around the erection poking into my stomach.

“So why not give you my body?” he asked, dipping down to kiss my lips before taking himself in hand and slowly sliding into me.

Our rhythm was slow, somehow fitting for the early morning hours. His hips flowed into mine and I responded in kind. I wrapped my arms around his neck, needing him close as we poured into each other. My head fell back and I moaned my satisfaction. His lips found my neck and he groaned into my skin. The gruff sound set me on fire. We were slowly torturing each other, ensuring the moment we each got what we wanted would be full of passion and a well-deserved release. My body began to shiver at the thought of his release and before I knew it I was crying out with my own. Fisher was only seconds behind me, spurred on by the feeling of my body coming around his. He moaned out his satisfaction and rolled onto his back, hugging me close to his side.

“Thank You,” I whispered.

“Oh no, thank
you
,” he kidded, rubbing his hand up and down my back.

“For my gift dummy,” I leaned up onto my elbow, “guess what?”

“What?”

“It’s Christmas Eve!” I placed my hand on his chest, shaking him slightly.

Fisher laughed at my excitement.

“Aut viam inveniam aut faciam,” I read off his chest, tracing the arched words with my finger, “What does it mean?”

“I’ll either find a way or I’ll make one,” he trailed his fingers up and down my back.

“And Riley’s birthday?” I asked, tracing the eight numbers without dashes.

“Yeah,” he pulled my fingers up to his lips and gave them a soft kiss.

“And this one?” I pulled the blanket down to expose the ink across his hip, I leaned in close to read, “Musica delenit bestiam feram.”

“Music soothes the savage beast,” he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

“Is it a coincidence that this is by your savage beast?” I asked, indicating his pelvic area before returning to the top of the bed to rest my head on his chest.

“It was supposed to be on my chest, but I found out about Riley first,” he laughed a little at my joke.

I kissed his chest softly, over the words, before snuggling in to sleep for a little while until Riley woke up.

A knock at the door told me my big surprise for Fisher had arrived.

“Stay here!” I practically screamed at him. We’d been sitting in Riley’s room where he watched me wrap presents, pretending to help while he played with the baby on the floor. I’d watched him stand Riley up and walk him around the room a few times, taking pictures and cheering each time.

“You’re early!” I jumped up and down, stepping into the hallway to join June, pulling Fisher’s front door closed behind me.

We hugged and jumped together for a few seconds before I turned to face our other guest.

“I’m so glad you could make it Patricia,” I smiled, pulling her into a tentative hug. I hoped bringing her to celebrate the holidays with her son and grandson would clear some bad blood between us and help to repair her relationship with her son.

“Thank you for inviting me Piper,” and honest to God she smiled at me.

I basked in the glow of a smile from Patricia Fisher for a minute, understanding the specialness of it.

“Great,” I clapped my hands together, “You two are staying at my apartment,” I opened the door, “but please feel free to come and go from Fisher’s as you please, it just made sense to have you stay here instead of on the couch.” I showed June to the guest room and Patricia to my bedroom. “The fridge is full of food, so please help yourselves and the bathroom is right this way,” I shifted from foot to foot when I was finished with my miniature tour.

“Thanks Pipe,” June smiled at me.

“No problem, I’ll let you get settled now. Just come across the hall whenever you’re ready,” I excused myself and returned to Fisher’s apartment.

“Baby, come look at this,” Fisher called from the bedroom.

Before I could get all the way there Riley toddled around the corner, his arms outstretched in front of him. Tears pricked at my eyes and I held my hands over my mouth, letting the slow sobs of wonder find their way out of my body.

“Come here baby,” I sank to my knees on the floor and stretched my arms out to him.

The magic of watching the child I loved take his first few steps was indescribable. It was like the first time I heard The Beatles, my surprise sixteenth birthday, and the first time Fisher touched his lips to my fingers all wrapped into one. It was overwhelming and amazing and all I could do was smile and cry.

Riley took two final steps toward me and fell into my arms, his little body squeezed in the hug I forced him into.

“Why are you crying goofball?” Fisher asked, kneeling next to me and pulling both Riley and I into a cuddle puddle in the middle of the floor.